E-waste and the Basel Conventionon the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes

and their DisposalITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change,

7-8 July 2011, Accra, Ghana

Matthias KernSecretariat of the Basel Convention

United Nations Environment Programme

Topics:• Basel Convention at a glance

• Global E-waste problem and opportunities

• Cooperation with the Information and Communication Technologysector

- Adopted on 22 March 1989- Entered into force on 5 May 1992- 176 Parties to the Convention as at

July 2011- - E-waste is listed in Annex VIII as A1180

(hazardous waste) and Annex IX as B1110 (waste containing materials with hazardous characteristics)

Main Goal of the Basel Convention:

To protect, by strict control, human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation and management of hazardous wastes and other wastes

Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE)

• PACE was launched by the 9th meeting of the Conference of the PACE was launched by the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention, which took place in Bali, Indonesia in Parties to the Basel Convention, which took place in Bali, Indonesia in June 2008. June 2008.

• PACE is a multi-stakeholder partnership under the umbrella of the PACE is a multi-stakeholder partnership under the umbrella of the Basel Convention that provides a forum for representatives ofBasel Convention that provides a forum for representatives of

- personal computer manufacturers, - personal computer manufacturers, - recyclers, - recyclers, - international organizations, - international organizations, - academia, - academia, - environmental groups, and - environmental groups, and - governments- governments

to tackle the environmentally sound management (ESM), to tackle the environmentally sound management (ESM), refurbishment, recycling and disposal of used and end-of-life refurbishment, recycling and disposal of used and end-of-life computing equipment. computing equipment.

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Current StatusCurrent StatusPACE products that have been finalized:

- Two draft guidelines:1. Environmentally sound testing, repair and refurbishment; and2. Environmentally sound material recovery and recycling

- ESM criteria recommendations

- Guidance on Procedures for Transboundary Movement of Computing Equipment.

- Glossary of Terms for PACE.

- Overall Guidance Document on Environmentally Sound Management of Used and End-of-Life Computing Equipment

Available on website: http://www.basel.int/industry/compartnership/documents.html

Topics:• Basel Convention at a glance

• Global E-waste problem and opportunities

• Cooperation with the Information and Communication Technologysector

• PCs & Mobile Phones are the major IC equipment

• Computing equipment lifespan decreased- 1997: 4-6 years- 2005: 2-4 years

• In 1 decade (1994-2003), 500 million PCs worldwide reached end-of-life ~ E-WASTE

Information and Communication Technology

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40-50 Million Metric 40-50 Million Metric Tonnes of e-Waste Tonnes of e-Waste Globally Each YearGlobally Each Year

Consumed electrical and electronic products Consumed electrical and electronic products will generate: will generate:

A rapidly growing problem:

The volume of obsolete PCs generated in developing regions will exceed that of developed regions by 2016-2018.

By 2030, the obsolete PCs from developing regions will reach 400-700 million units, far more than from developed regions at 200-300 million units.

Yu et al., 2010

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0

20,000,000

40,000,000

60,000,000

80,000,000

100,000,000

120,000,000

140,000,000

2000 2008 2010 2014

USA

N.America

W.Europe

E.Europe

Asia

South/Central America

Middle East/Africa

Personal Computer (PC) Sales by RegionsPersonal Computer (PC) Sales by Regions

Material content and value of an average desktop

PC 2007 resource prices:   Amount contained in

desktop PC[g/unit]

Material value 2007[US$/unit]

Steel 6737.5 1.70

Plastics 1579.5 0.49

Aluminium 550.2 1.49

Copper 413.2 2.99

Zinc 25.9 0.09

Antimony 18.5 0.11

Nickel 12.7 0.47

Lead 6.5 0.02

Silver 1.7 0.94

Gold 0.3 5.82

Palladium 0.1 1.38

Two sides of recycling:

• E-waste recycling in most developing countries by informal sector:– Involving large number of

people– Practices not environmentally

sound• methods: burning, acid etching• no/poor worker protection• almost no pollution control

E-waste Africa programme

• Timeframe: November 2008 to March 2012

• Countries involved: Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Tunisia and Egypt

• Goals:- Enhance environmental governance for e-waste in selected African countries- Build capacity to monitor and control e-waste imports coming from the developed world, including Europe- Protect the health of citizens- Provide economic opportunities

Socio-economic impacts in Lagos, Nigeria

Environmentally sound management of electric and electronic waste in Asia-

Pacific

• Launched in Tokyo, November 2005, Asia-Pacific Regional Inception Workshop on the ESM of E&E Wastes

• Countries involved: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam

• Goal:- Prevention and minimization of e-waste generation, - ESM of e-waste by promoting best practices and sound recycling technologies, and - illegal traffic prevention through capacity building and strengthening of national enforcement structures

Topics:• Basel Convention at a glance

• Global E-waste problem and opportunities

• Cooperation with the Information and Communication Technologysector

Cooperation with the ICT sector (1):• Technology for ESM of E-Waste exists, but

has to be linked to product life-cycle to become economically viable.

• Introduction of life-cycle approach for e-products needs concerted efforts of all players (investment, producers, users, recyclers, etc.).

Cooperation with the ICT sector (2):• Make provision that procurement of new ICT

equipment is linked to refurbishment and recycling, or to environmentally sound disposal of old/replaced equipment.

• The Secretariat of the Basel Convention and the Basel Convention Regional Centres can provide technical expertise on environmentally sound life-cycle management at the project planning and implementation stage.

“Quite simply, environmental sustainability is the foundation upon which achieving all the other MDGs must be built.”

The Millenium Task Force on Environmental Sustainability, commissioned by the UN-Secretary General under the leadership of Professor Jeffrey Sachs concluded:

Thank you !

UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention15, Chemin des Anemones

CH-1219 Chatelaine, GenevaPhone: +41 22 917 8218Fax: +41 22 797 34 54

E-mail: matthias.kern@unep.org

Website: www.basel.int